


the stars, the moon (they have all been blown out)

by SaltyPistachio



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Queen's Thief Fusion, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25908493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyPistachio/pseuds/SaltyPistachio
Summary: At nineteen, Gus was the youngest witch on the Queen’s council and very inexperienced with what that entailed. When the Queen herself tasks him to “guard” the human who has been causing their kingdom much trouble, Gus must learn how to navigate politics and the relationships that follow. Not so much his own but those of the human— who seems to get along with the queen better than he had previously believed.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 25
Kudos: 73





	the stars, the moon (they have all been blown out)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fic came about because I loved the Grom dance scene too much and I also love The Queen's Thief series very much. You don't need to have any experience with the books— if I do my job correctly, you should be able to follow without any prior knowledge. 
> 
> Any and all mistakes are on me.

As Gus scurried down the stone corridor, violently bumping into the walls as he turned the corners too quickly, he knew that today— today was the day he died.

Gus was aware that he was the best on the Isles at illusions, especially since the queen’s siblings had abdicated the throne and sailed away to who-knows-where, but no amount of magic would be able to save him this time. He had been tasked one simple, measly thing and he had completely and utterly failed. When the task was first introduced (by the queen herself!) he had been humiliated. His powers would be wasted on such a simple order, but he was not going to argue with the woman who held his life in her hands, so he swallowed his pride and grudgingly accepted. What a fool he was; he had turned around for one second and had lost—

“Luz!” he yelped, running into the motionless human’s back. He bounced back hard and tripped over his robes, falling onto the ground with a loud thump.

Wide, brown eyes were instantly on him and his head rang with the swiftness of her words. “Gus! I am so sorry, I know I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the hallway but look! Isn’t this beautiful?” The apologetic human grabbed him by his elbows and heaved him upwards to direct him towards the large painting they were standing in front of. It was an old painting, not as ancient as others but it had held a permanent residence on the wall for a few years now. It was of the queen as a young girl, flanked by her two older siblings— the mischievous twins with too much potential and not that much follow-through. At least as rulers. Everybody had known early on that it would be the youngest witch who would inherit the throne. That is why she was the one who had been tutored in all things related to the crown while the twins were able to focus solely on their magic. Of course, that came with a cost for all those involved. The older heirs’ magic was forever locked on illusions while the youngest heir was locked in a life that never should have been hers to begin with.

“They look so sad,” Luz spoke softly, breaking Gus out of his thoughts.

He hummed and gave a small shrug, “Nothing to do about it now.”

Luz’s eyes stayed fixated on the unsmiling faces. “I just wish I could make— Your Majesty!” she exclaimed, sounding half-delighted and half-alarmed. Gus swung his head around in horror and hurriedly bowed when his queen approached. He had to surreptitiously tug at Luz’s robes to get her to follow his lead and offer a sloppy bow of her own. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” he said, trying to keep the panic he felt out of his voice. 

The queen of Uredo— his queen— was cut from ivory and steel. Her angular face was pale but lovely, like the light that came off a waning moon. Her molten golden eyes simmered in the light, threatening to burn all those that stood in her way. She always wore the most regal of dresses and was never seen without her crown, a simple golden band studded with emeralds that snaked around her head. For many centuries, the emeralds had complimented the forest green hair of Uredo’s past rulers, but now they emphasized the queen’s...otherness. Her lighter colored hair flowed down her back— styled in imitation of the mythological witch Azura. The goddess-like figure from all the stories that single-handedly ruled an eternal reign over her mythical kingdom. Gus had a suspicion that the good witch Azura’s hair was the primary reason why his queen dyed her own hair. It served as a symbol of strength and power that she invoked from Azura. 

After the queen’s coronation, many disloyal barons had tried to sow discord by smearing her reputation, questioning whether or not she really was the trueborn daughter of the late king. They had paid for those comments in blood and their houses had been dismantled piece-by-piece until their family name was no more important than those of any commoner off the street. 

She was the closest mortals would get to a living Azura. 

The queen cooly glanced his way. “Good morning, Lord Augustus.” He felt a smothering heat begin to wring around his neck; the title was a recent addendum and he was still trying to navigate life in court. 

His mint-haired queen turned her judgment to the human at his side. Luz gave her a goofy grin and a silly wave. Gus wanted to melt away where he stood. “Hello, oh-so powerful ruler of the Isles. Funny seeing you walk my way,” the brunette said cheekily. 

The queen lifted a dark brow and her lips tightened slightly. “Human, it is you who is in my way.”

Luz chuckled and Gus readied himself for whatever strange comment she would likely give when a figure he had not noticed before stepped towards the queen’s elbow. It was Lilith, the queen’s closest advisor and her unofficial Master of Spies. Lilith was a powerful witch who Gus knew better than to cross; she was armed with unfathomable magic and infinite knowledge. Lilith had informants everywhere throughout the kingdom and so she knew everything that went on; nothing could get past the woman.

Well, almost nothing.

It was well-known that Lilith had a sister, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, and that Lilith had been attempting to capture her since they were around Gus’s age. Her sister, dubbed the Owl Lady, had repeatedly taunted Lilith by crossing into the kingdom of Uredo and creating chaos right under her sister’s nose, only to escape at the last possible second. As the years mounted, the Owl Lady’s appearances had dwindled— something drawing her away from being a thorn in her sister’s side. But a few years ago, when Gus was still a student at Hexside, he had heard rumours that she had taken on an apprentice— one who would venture into Uredo and take on the troubles the Owl Lady had discarded. Stranger still were the accounts that her apprentice was not an ordinary witch, but a human. 

Gus had thought those reports absurd until a few weeks ago when the castle had come awake past midnight, with the queen’s guard giving the apprentice chase. The Owl Lady’s protégé would have successfully evaded capture had it not been for Mattholomule, the ambassador sent by Emperor Belos from Trucis. He alone set a trap for the intruder and triumphantly dragged the witch before the queen. Gus had been there as the hood was yanked back and two decidedly round ears were revealed to the queen’s court. 

A few weeks later and one human heavier, Gus knew all about Luz.

He also knew of the bad blood between the human and Lilith, so he made sure to take a step back and distance himself from her. 

“Your Majesty,” Lilith interjected before Luz could say her piece, “you have a long day ahead of you. Might I suggest we move along?”

“Oh, where are you two headed?” Luz asked.

Lilith’s lip curled. “The queen must have her sustenance and enjoy a momentary respite of peace before she begins her day.”

“Breakfast!” Luz exclaimed, not picking up on the hint, “Gus and I were on our way to grab something to eat ourselves. Mind if we join you?”

Lilith looked like she would rather be flayed alive but before she could say anything, the queen gave a lofty sigh and a flippant wave. “If you must,” she said. 

Gus winced as Luz fell into step next to the queen instead of trailing a few steps behind, as Lilith was doing. He himself safely waited until all three women were several feet ahead before he darted after them. 

* * *

Gus was not sure of what the royal protocol was for guests who were not really guests— more like lavished prisoners— but he was sure that talking the queen’s ear off was not it. 

Luz was in the middle of a story (that sounded suspiciously like the time a pack of snagglebacks was released in the queen’s garden, except the names and location were changed) when the queen cut her off. “I see you’ve managed to lose your attendants again,” she said as she lifted her goblet to her lips. 

Luz looked around in an exaggerated fashion. “Maybe they’ve managed to lose me,” she replied guilelessly. 

Gus felt his spoon slip out of his fingers and scrambled to retrieve it. When he looked up, the queen had pursed her lips and Lilith was outright scowling at the human, who was obliviously eating her breakfast. 

“Are you suggesting,” the queen started methodically, “that I find you new attendants?”

Gus suppressed a shiver and stared fixedly at his plate. There was no love lost between himself and Luz’s attendants— especially not Boscha— but he knew the implication behind the queen’s words. If Luz wanted, she could ask for her attendants to be thrown out of court at best— at worst, she could ask for their executions— and the queen would have to comply. Luz was in Uredo under the guise of an impromptu ambassador for Iactus (despite the circumstances for her arrival) and so her requests were to be taken seriously. If word got back to Iactica that the hostage was being snubbed, the tentative peace between the two kingdoms would fall. Leaving a breach open for—

“Ambassador Mattholomule, Your Majesty,” announced the guard standing by the door, stepping aside to reveal the smarmy man Gus abhorred. The pompous twig of a man strutted down the room to the queen’s side, where he picked up her pale hand and delivered a swift, overzealous kiss to it. Had Gus been the queen, he would have gagged and called for murder. That being said, he was not her, and so he had to watch as she preened under the attention and fluttered her eyelashes coquettishly. “Ambassador, what a pleasure to see you about so early.” 

Gus saw Luz slow her chewing and narrow her eyes. He was glad someone else could see past Mattholomule’s ‘pleasantry’, even if it was one-half of the kingdom’s most wanted witches. 

Mattholomule puffed out his chest. “I would have been here sooner, but my servant made a mess of my appointments. Had I a wife, I’m sure I would be more organized,” he said, with a pointed look at the queen. Gus noted the lack of title when Mattholomule addressed her and added that onto his list of reasons as to why he could reasonably hate the ambassador. 

“Hey Mattholomule,” Luz chirped from where she sat. The fool turned his nose up at her with a disdainful look plastered across his face. “Hello...you,” he replied snobbishly. His beady eyes shifted to Gus and a smirk crawled across his face, “Good morning Augustus.”

Gus felt his ears pin back against his head and he narrowed his eyes. “Good morning Mattholomule.”

The ambassador from Trucis had been nothing but a nuisance since he first arrived. He was always interrupting council meetings to which he was not invited and he addressed the queen casually, showing no respect for her titles or her image. The ambassador did as he pleased and was a poor upholder of diplomacy. When Luz had first been captured and the question of what to do with her had arisen, Mattholomule had suggested that she be hung from the kingdom’s walls. Diplomacy— in his emperor’s name, he said. That was Mattholomule’s common phrase in court: diplomacy— in his emperor’s name. What weight Belos’ name held in Uredo was beyond Gus’ comprehension. For all intents and purposes, Uredo was no longer in debt to the shadowy emperor from across the sea. Nevertheless, Gus had taken pleasure in seeing Mattholomule fume when his idea was promptly shot down.

Luz slapped her hands on the table and jumped out of her chair, startling Gus out of his. “Well I think it’s time Gus and I start our day, don’t you think so, buddy?” She gave the queen another messy bow and nodded her head in Lilith’s direction, completely bypassing Mattholomule as she strolled out of the room with her head held high and a skip in her step. Gus promptly excused himself and hurried after her. 

He found her ambling down the corridor that led towards the training grounds. He hoped she would take a turn and lead them towards the library or back to her quarters, but she was drawn to the shouts and exclamations coming from the grounds. There they found Luz’s attendants— the ones that should have been accompanying her— paired up against one another and showing off their fighting skills. The head attendant was off to the side, observing and jeering whenever one of the women took a particularly nasty hit. Gus felt a ball of anxiety form in the pit of his stomach as Boscha took notice of Luz and straightened. Not in service as she should have, but in challenge. The magenta-haired witch sauntered over to where they stood and smirked. “Good morning, _ambassador_ ,” she drawled, the emphasis on the title said in a mocking manner. “Are you here to practice?”

Before the human’s stay at the castle, Boscha had been in the queen’s retinue— perks of coming from an old, noble family and knowing the queen since they were children. Gus had heard rumours that before the previous monarchs had passed, there were talks of an arranged marriage between the two witches. But now with the emperor’s pet in court and the kingdom on the brink of war, any plans of matrimony had been pushed to the side— leaving an embittered Boscha to sink her frustrations on the vulnerable human, whom she had been instructed to attend. Had Boscha been anyone else, Gus would have felt a sense of kinship with her; after all, he had also been dragged away from his station and had been assigned as an overgrown babysitter. But Boscha was Boscha and so Gus felt nothing. 

He pleaded to any higher power that may have been listening to knock some sense into the human and reject the implicit offer, but when it came to controlling Luz, it seemed that there was no force strong enough to suppress her stubbornness. “I sure am,” she said. She cocked her head and smiled at Boscha. “Hey, you wouldn’t mind going against me, would you?” 

Boscha’s sharp smirk cut through Gus. “It would be my pleasure.”

Everybody on the exercise yard fled to the edges and whispered amongst themselves, many snickering in anticipation. Boscha may have studied a potions track, but her combat skills were not to be taken lightly. 

“So,” Luz said, her voice echoing through the yard, “how do we wanna do this?”

Boscha tapped her index finger against her chin in a show of excessive thought. “First to three?” she proposed innocently enough. But Gus was not stupid (despite what Mattholomule believed); she was going to make her three hits reverberate throughout Luz’s body so that she would feel them tomorrow. 

Luz stretched her arms over her head and discarded her robes, revealing the tunic and pants she wore underneath. “Sounds good to me.” She turned towards Gus and he stepped forward to take her robes, throwing her attendants a dirty look. Why was he the one stuck doing their job? 

The two women circled one another and Boscha acted first. Her hand lit up in flames and she threw fireball after fireball at Luz’s feet. The shorter-haired woman danced around to avoid them and Gus felt a twinge of anger towards her opponent. Boscha would already humiliate the human by beating her, no need to add this unnecessary mockery on top of it. Boscha maneuvered herself closer to the prancing human and when she was in striking distance, she swung her leg out and swept Luz’s feet out from under her. There was the first hit. 

But Luz was not to be discounted yet. It seemed as all her dancing around had not been for naught. When Boscha stepped forward Luz rolled out of the circle she had drawn and slapped her hand on the ground. A large platform of ice erected out of the ground and ejected Boscha upwards, sending her flying across the training yard. 

Gus clapped his hands together in excitement but composed himself when he remembered that the human was not a friend or an ally, but an assignment. Gus was supposed to stop Luz from doing any of her strange magic, but he was also not supposed to let her come to harm, so he figured that the queen would allow him to bend her instructions in this case. 

Boscha sprang up and stalked towards Luz, a murderous look on her face. The murmurs rose but people’s attention had moved to the balcony above Gus. He took a few steps forward and tilted his head upwards, only to step back under the balcony’s shade when he saw who stood above. It was the queen— and she looked very displeased. 

She had every reason to as well. Boscha raining down fury on an ambassador did not bode well for her kingdom’s image. From where he stood, Gus could not catch a glimpse of her face but he could see as her pale hands whitened even further as she gripped the balcony’s railing. He was certain that when she stepped back, her fingerprints would be indented into the centuries-old stone. 

Boscha raised her arm and opened her hand, her mouth curling up cruelly as her staff flew into her palm. She raised it over her head and whirled it around, gathering enough energy until she brought it down and struck the earth with such force Gus was surprised she had not caused a small quake. Ridges in the ground raced towards Luz and offset her balance, catching her unprepared for the swing Boscha aimed at her stomach. The poor human landed on her back and Gus saw her grasp her middle, letting out small wheezing sounds that rung out in the courtyard. She held up a feeble arm and curled her fist, jutting her thumb into the air. “Good game, Boscha.” 

Boscha kicked the human in the ribs, albeit not as roughly as Gus had expected, and tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “That’s three, ambassador,” she panted, still spent from the blow she received. 

Everybody below waited alongside Gus to see what the queen would say or do. But all Gus heard was the click of her heeled boots and the swish of her silk dress as she retreated from the balcony and returned to whatever duties needed seeing. The observers released a collective breath and they all swarmed to congratulate Boscha. Luz’s attendants made a half-hearted attempt to help her stand and dust her off. Gus rushed over and draped her robes over her slumped figure. “Could have been worse,” he said to her, low enough so that those around them would not hear. 

She hummed in response and straightened. “I think I will need a bath,” she announced. Gus felt his ears burn and turned towards her attendants; that was a duty he was not qualified for, nor would he want to be. Boscha headed out of the yard and back to her own quarters, not waiting to be excused, and the rest of the women followed Luz as she made her way back inside the castle. “Meet me back at my room for dinner, Gus,” she called out over her shoulder. 

He stood in the middle of the near-empty exercise yard and threw his head back to groan. 

* * *

Gus spent his free afternoon wandering around the castle and acquainting himself with all the rooms and corridors he had not previously explored. He passed the time by dropping into the library and noting new illusionary techniques he was interested in mastering and poking his head into the kitchen, only to be thrown out by the cook when he had discovered that Gus had stuffed half the tarts in his mouth and the other half in his robes. He ventured into the throne room and stood close to the wall as he heard person after person throw themselves at the queen’s feet and ask her for something— land, forgiveness, mercy, a verdict— the requests rolled on. The ambassador from Trucis stood to the left of the queen’s throne, opposite of a stoic Lilith, and would continuously lean down and whisper in her ear. Whether or not the queen took his advice, Gus did not know. What he did know was that he was late to meet Luz, so he rushed to her apartments and hoped she’d been stalled. 

The witches situated in the guardsroom outside of the human’s apartments glared at him suspiciously as he passed, but made no move to stop him. They’d seen him scurry in before to retrieve the human and at this point, Gus was certain that their squint-eyed gaze was as much a part of them as the permanent scowls they carried. 

He walked into the bedroom and saw a familiar-looking circus play out in front of him. Attendants waltzed past him, dangling pieces of clothing behind them as they presented them to the brunette in the middle of the room and skipping back to the wardrobe as each piece of clothing offered was denied. Boscha stood by the door of the wardrobe and directed the chaos inside of the bedroom, catching Gus’ eye as he stepped in and giving him a conspiratorial wink with her left eye. He crossed his arms and turned away from her, determined to not be pulled into the childish antics she orchestrated. 

Luz stood in a white undershirt and patiently looked on as dresses and pants and shirts were shoved in her face, politely rejecting each item. Had it been for her vanity, Gus would have lost patience a long time ago. But after weeks of interacting with Luz, he knew how little the human cared for her appearance. But even so, lines must be drawn somewhere. The clothes being offered were horrendous and designed to keep her a laughingstock. The dresses brought would have tears in them and the pants always fit too small. The shirts would often have missing buttons or they’d be splattered with spilled ink. In short, Boscha made sure the human understood how little she fit in. 

Finally, she settled on startling bright purple pants that ended uncomfortably above her ankles and a lilac shirt that served as a poor attempt to match the colors together. Over it she wore a black, long overcoat that seemed cut for a man with too-short sleeves, awkwardly framing her short, thin body.

She walked up to him and threaded her arm with his, forcing him to lean towards her slightly. A couple of years ago, Gus had finally gone through his growth spurt and shot up seemingly overnight. He was not so tall that he had to duck his head every time he passed through a doorway, but he was at least two heads taller than Luz. Perhaps their only saving grace (or added humiliation) was that Luz had adapted to his gangly limbs and awkward strides as he adapted to her shorter yet brisk steps. 

They reached the dining hall and Luz detached herself from his side, heading towards the dais where the queen sat. The queen took her meals on the dais and up until a few months ago, she used to eat alone while her attendants and the rest of the important members of court would spill out on the tables beneath. Now, however, both Mattholomule and Luz had gained invitations to sit and share their meals with her. 

He walked down the aisle between the tables and sat adjacent to Lilith; close enough so he could hear what might be said on the dais but far enough that he would not have to speak with the Master of Spies. The older witch was discussing something with the man to her left, Principal Bump. Or rather, Lord Bump as he was now called since he had retired from Hexside and had taken a position offered by the queen as the heir’s personal tutor. Which was a useless position as there was no current heir to speak of.

The queen had a clever way of elevating allies and snubbing long-standing nobles yet keeping them in court so that no rebellions would rise. She was only three years older than Gus but he admired her greatly. She had inherited the throne at a young age and had kept the kingdom from falling apart while paying off the debts owed to Belos’ and keeping a war at bay. Although Gus supposed that the latter success was partially helped by the fact that queen of Iactus was young herself and therefore would have no interest in leading her kingdom into a battle she may not know to navigate. 

Luz was the linchpin to the current peace and she could be its undoing. For Luz had not only been sent by the Owl Lady to terrorize her sister, but she was also one of Iactica’s top “informants”. She knew too much about the inner workings of Uredo and the only feasible option to keep her silent was to kill her— that or keep her hostage. There were whispers of how close the human and the neighboring queen were, but Gus refused to believe anything until he was presented with cold, hard facts. He had gotten into plenty of trouble in his youth for jumping to conclusions too quickly and he refused to make the same mistakes now, as a high-ranking member of court. 

“Iactus has sent word that two ambassadors will arrive at our door in a fortnight,” Lilith said, poking at her food with unnecessary force. 

Gus felt his insides curdle and for a fleeting moment thought that word had gotten back to Iactus about the incident between Boscha and Luz that morning. 

“They will be here to discuss...agriculture,” Lilith said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Gus wondered if “agriculture” was the word they were using to describe the army that patrolled at the edges of the kingdom, slowly encroaching upon the outer outskirts of Iactus. The only reason Uredo’s soldiers had not marched through was that the forest surrounding Iactus was too thick. It covered the neighboring kingdom in a protective embrace and refused entrance to any intruders into its dense overgrowth. There were stories that the earth itself loved Iactus’s queen and had vowed to keep her kingdom from harm. Gus was inclined to believe them.

“Human,” came a toneless voice from above them, “what interesting attire you’ve chosen for tonight.”

Luz propped her head in her chin and grinned at the queen. “I think it really brings out my eyes, don’t you think?”

She received a dry look in response. “Quite.”

Mattholomule leaned into the queen’s side, “You look stunning as always. Of course, you’d look better if you spent less time indoors and more time outside under the sun. A woman shouldn’t worry so much about running a kingdom. That’s a king’s job.”

The dining hall fell silent and everybody’s heads snapped up towards where the three were seated. The teal-haired queen’s eyes widened momentarily, taken aback at the remark, but she recovered quickly. Gus doubted that the slip had been caught by others seated further away. She smiled at Mattholomule— one full of teeth and no light in her eyes— and slid her hand over his. “Perhaps one day,” she simpered, “but for now, it all falls on my head.”

Mattholomule nodded in response, clearly pleased with himself for inserting his “subtle” proposal. Luz leaned back into her own seat and said something to the queen, too quiet for it to be heard over the rising conversations below them. The queen did not turn to look at her but Gus saw as she ducked her head and ran her thumb over the stem of her goblet before she brought it up to her lips and sipped at it. She briefly paused before she brought it down, long enough that she could have said something in return and nobody would have been able to see her lips move.

* * *

As was the norm, Gus walked Luz and her attendant back to her apartments and bypassed the guards. Luz waved her hand and everybody but Gus vacated the rooms and waited out in the hall. He magicked a chair in front of her bedroom window and went to stand under the doorway between her bedroom and the guardsroom. They stood there for close to an hour; Gus watching the back of the high chair and Luz slumped in it while she faced the window, everything but her right arm that dangled off the chair hidden from where Gus stood. When she finally got up, Gus busied himself by moving the chair back to its original position at her desk to give her some privacy as she wiped her tears away. They bade each other goodnight and he let those waiting outside in to torture the human once more. 

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, despite this being in Gus' point of view, it is very much a Lumity story. 
> 
> come check me out on [tumblr](https://theowlhousewlw.tumblr.com/)
> 
> If anybody would be interested in being beta, I'd appreciate that very much. Otherwise, I'll have to dump my trash on you guys with only my eyes as editors. 
> 
> Feel free to leave comments!


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